Conveyer.



110.726.098. 1 bPATENTE) APR. 21, 1903.

J. B. PITGHFORD.

CONVEYBR.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 2', 1902.

No MoD-EL. l 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 726,098. v PATBNTED APR. 21, 1903;' J. B. PITGHPORD.

CGNVEYER. APPLICATION "FILED DBO. Z, 1902. N0 MODEL. l 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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A TTOHNE YS.

UNITED STA-TESS J.ATENT FFICE.

JOHN BENJAMIN PEGI-inegi), orwrtA'NDFoNTEIN, TRANsvAAL,

'SOUTH AFRICA.

srncrrIcA'rroN forming part of Letters Patent No. 726,098, dated April 21, 190e. Application filed December 2.1902. Serial No. 133,5 56. (No modelJ To all whom t 10a/ay concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN BENJAMIN Piron- FORD, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Randfontein,'l"ransvaal,Sou th Africa, have invented a new and Improved Conveyer, of which the following is a full, clear,'and eX- act description.

. This invention relates to improvements in devices for conveying pulp, tailings, riversand, or the like to a place of discharge, the object being to provide, in connection with an endless conveyer or belt moving at a comparatively high rate of speed, a pump for loading the belt at the same velocity as thebelt is traveling, thus resulting in equalizing the load and causing a uniform discharge.

I will describe a conveyer embodying my invention `and then point out the novel features in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a broken side elevation of a conveyer embodying my' invention. Fig. 2 is a broken plan view thereof. v View of a conveyer-belt of modified construction, and Fig. 4 is a cross-section thereof,

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a` tank or sump for receiving the material to be; 'From the# sump an endless conveyer-belt 2 extends at* conveyed to a place of discharge.

an upward incline and passes around a pulley 3, supported in a frame 4, the lower endof pulley 5, arranged over the sump.

The material-carried up by the belt is dise charged into a chute 6, leading toany'desired point. Arranged underneath the lower stretch 0f the conveyer-belt and having substantially the same incline is a platform 7 for conveying the material that may fall 0H the belt back to the sump. A suction-pump 8 is arranged adjacent to the lower end of the belt and, as here shown, directly over the sump. From this suction-pump a suctionpipe 9 extends downward into the sump and is provided at its lower end with a strainer 10. Leading from the pump 8 and over the lower portion of the upper stretch ofthe conveyer-belt is a discharge-nozzle 11. This noz- Fig. 3 is a planzle is flattened at its outlet end, as plainly indicated in Fig. 2, so as to spread the material evenly upon the belt.

A water-pipe 12 has a portion 13 leading intol the sump and terminating near the strainer 10. This is designed to permitan inflow of water to clean away any material that may become hardened or caked around the strainer. Ths cleaningpipe is provided with Valves 14 and' 15, andleadingfrom the pipe from a point between the valves into the pump is a priming-tubel, whiclris also provided with a valve 1,7.

'Io regulate the suction of the pump, I employ an air-pipe 18, which communicates with the suction-pipe 9,iand in this air-pipe is a valve 19, from the stem offwhich-afrod 2,0 extends downward andconnects with apiioat 21, that rises and lowers with the material in the sump, and consequently causes more or less opening of the valve 19 for the admission of air.

In the operation the conveyer-belt is to be driven at a comparatively high-rate of speed, and the pump willbe driven at such a speed vas to load the material onto the belt at practically the same velocity as the belt is moved. Thus 4theload will be spread out evenly and lequalized along the upper stretch of the conveyrrbelt'- To increase the carrying capacity of the ,belt,iI may provide it, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4,"witl1 'transverse ribs 22 and longitudinal Y vribs 23, these ribs'forming walls of pockets.

the conveyer-belt being extended aroi'ln'dajL Having thus described my invention, I

1 'claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent- 1. A conveyer comprising an inclined endless belt, a sum p at the lower end of said belt, a suction-pump for drawingmaterial from the sump, and a discharge-nozzle leading from said pump to a pointV over' 'theupperstretch of the conveyer-belt.-

2. A conveyer comprising an inclined endless belt, a sump at the lower end thereof, a suction-pump arranged over the sump, a suction-pipe leading into the sump, and a discharge-pipe leading from the pump to a point over the lower portion of the belt, the said pipe having a iiattened end and the said pump operating to discharge material onto the belt IOO at substantially the same rate of speed as the travel of the belt.

3. A conveyer comprising an inclined end- 'less belt, a sump at the lower portion of the belt, a suction-pump, a discharge-pipe leading from the pump to a point over the lower portion of the belt, a suction-pipe leading from the pump into the sump, a strainer on the lower end thereof, and a water-pipe leading to a point adjacent to said strainer.

4. A conveyer comprising an endless inclined belt, a sump at the lower portion of said belt, a suction-pump arranged over the sump, a discharge-nozzle leading from said pump to apoint over the upper stretch of the belt, a suction-pipe leading from the pump into the sump, an automatically-controlled air-inlet pipe leading into the said suction- JOHN BENJAMIN PI'I'CIIFORD.

Witnesses:

L. E. AEILZMAN, C. I. WIEIR. 

